BENGALURU: The Karnataka government is planning a sustainable data centre policy, with concerns over huge environmental costs and requirement of a large quantity of water and power, said IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge. He said the existing policy on data centres is being reviewed because of environmental concerns.
Kharge said generating 1MW requires one acre and Rs 70 crore. “We have to spend 25 million litres of water per MW per year per data centre. If you ask five question on ChatGPT, 500ml of water is needed, consumption is so high. But there is new technology, and treated water can be used. We will re-look the existing policy and come up with a sustainable one,’’ he told the Assembly.
According to the minister, data centres are needed for AI and other emerging technologies, but they also require a large quantity of water. Kharge was answering Doddaballapur MLA Dheeraj Muniraju, who had raised the issue of data centre shortage in Bengaluru, in spite of its IT capital status.
The government has not set up data centre parks anywhere, because of which private players are forced to shift to different places. Mumbai has the highest number of data centres, followed by Chennai and Delhi. Bengaluru is in fifth place but in the first spot when it comes to Artificial Intelligence technology, social media, online platforms, cloud computing and other technologies. For all these, there is a need for large data centres.
Dheeraj pointed out that the KWIN City project in Doddaballapur is coming up, for which land acquisition is happening in a big way. All big companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, NTT, Oracle etc are headquartered in Bengaluru, therefore there is a need to retain their data centres in Bengaluru. He urged the government to establish a data centre park in Doddaballapur.
In response, Kharge said there are 32 private data centres in Karnataka. “We already have a data centre policy which is three years old. We are reviewing it. Data centres are heavy water and energy guzzlers, so we are thinking of bringing in a sustainable data centre policy for Karnataka.
We are focusing more on coastal Karnataka as discussions are on with private companies to lay sub-sea cables. We have already written to the Union telecom ministry about it. They have replied that they cannot do it, but will cooperate if private companies come forward to lay sub-sea cables,” he said. Kharge said the government has already earmarked land for KWIN City in Doddaballapur.
AI, digital adoption to be part of upcoming MSME policy
BENGALURU: The Karnataka government is considering the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital transformation guidelines into its upcoming MSME policy to help local manufacturers prepare for future industrial challenges, said Rohini Sindhuri, Secretary, Department of MSME, Sugar and Textiles.
Speaking after inaugurating the state-level stakeholder consultation workshop organised at KASSIA Bhavan on Wednesday, she said they are gathering industry inputs to formulate a comprehensive MSME policy. Sindhuri said Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises account for nearly 97 per cent of the total industrial units in Karnataka, and remain one of the largest generators of employment in the state.
Recognising the sector’s importance, the government has initiated the process of drafting a dedicated policy to strengthen and modernise the MSME ecosystem. “As a first step, we have organised this state-level stakeholder consultation workshop. In the coming weeks, similar regional-level consultations will be conducted across districts to ensure broader participation and industry feedback,” she said.
The proposed policy will place technology and innovation at its core, enabling MSMEs to adapt to rapidly evolving global markets. The government is exploring the introduction of specific AI and digital adoption frameworks for MSMEs, aimed at enhancing productivity, competitiveness and technological readiness.